


Line of Duty (Critical Failure)

by the_fox333



Series: Gemsona backstory requests [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gemsonas - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9111685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_fox333/pseuds/the_fox333
Summary: From SU Amino, Gemsona backstory request number 2.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Perry Peridot](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Perry+Peridot).



"Attention, soldiers!" The voice of the Emerald serving as mission director blared over the loudspeaker. Morganite glanced up towards the screen, most of her attention still focused on the combat simulator. She dialed down the difficulty so she could fight and listen. "We are nearing the destination. Report to the bridge for orders." The Emerald saluted, and the screen disappeared. Morgenite set down the simulator handles and headed up the ship towards the bridge, several other Morgenites falling into line beside her.

On arriving at the bridge, several Peridots moved to the sides so the squad could assemble. The Emerald saluted crispy, the Morgenites following suit, and began to read off an info screen.

"As you should remember from initial mission briefing, the target is a small group of rebels on the planet of Earth. Homeworld believes that if left unchecked, the rebellion could grow, possibly becoming a threat to the integrity of the colony. Intelligence reports have located them in Facet 2, where the drop ships are currently ready to take you. Several other squads have been sent on this mission, so it is important to establish visual confirmation of enemy presence before attacking." The Emerald paused for acknowledgement, then continued. "The drop ship will depart in 30 hours. Be ready at that time. Squad dismissed."

The Morgenites trooped out of the bridge, several chatting about how they could shatter the most rebels. They peeled off towards their rooms, and Morgenite found herself alone again as she entered the recreation center. She sighed and picked up the simulator handles, still lying exactly where she left them. The others talked big, but she had never seen them exhibit the kind of dedication she did to improving as a soldier. Tensing her grip on the handles, she cranked the difficulty level up to 47. She had never been able to beat it before, but she wanted all the practice she could get.

* * *

"Aapproaching drop zone," cooed the voice of the drop ship. "All troops prepare for deployment." Each Morgenite tightened their grip on their weapon, shifting their weight to both feet and bracing themselves. "Dropping," the ship announced, and the floor swung open, the Morgenites tumbling down with practiced expertise.

They landed as one, immediately backing against each other to form a defensive circle. "All clear," called one Morgenite, and the others echoed her, breaking the circle and fanning out among the huge pines. Morgenite locked her eyes on the undergrowth, careful to avoid stepping on anything that might alert enemies to her presence. Without warning, she swung her leg at a large bush, her shin guard snapping off the upper half and sending a family of rabbits scattering in all directions. Shaking her head, she continued walking, keeping her eyes peeled and ears alert.

From a line of short, dense trees came the sound of a snapping stick. Morgenite froze, but her teammate beat her to it, her boomerang cleaving the trees in half. "Nothing to worry about," she called. "Just a couple of-"

"NOW!" came a shout. From the treetops dropped a dozen assorted gems, each bearing a star on their clothing. Weapons at the ready, they whirled through the squad, slicing and pounding physical forms until they poofed. Some hung back, bubbling the gems of the fallen Morgenites and sending them away.

The remnants of the squad quickly gained their bearings. "Aim to shatter!" called one, and the others obeyed, well-placed blows smashing two rebels to shards. Still, they had been taken by surprise and were now outnumbered, backed into a corner with nowhere to run. The rebels had them surrounded. One pink Quartz holding a sword and shield nodded, and a tall, three-eyed fusion stepped forward, slamming their gauntlets together. Pulling back as if to punch, they swung and launched the gauntlet towards Morgenite. Flipping onto her hands, she slammed the gauntlet with her shin guard, redirecting it somewhere into the trees. The fusion made an irritated sound, materializing a new gauntlet.

"We have you trapped," the pink Quartz announced. "You have two choices: Side with the rebellion, or be destabilized and bubbled."

Glaring at the rebels, one Morgenite stepped forward. "We will never surrender," she announced. Every gem in the clearing tensed. "Not until Homeworld- lives- no- more." Spitting at the Quartz's feet, she whipped her own sword from her gem and rushed forward to fight. The rest of the squad followed suit, Morgenite charging at the fusion and knocking their legs out from under them. She tried to stomp on the gem on their now-exposed right hand, but they recoiled and delivered a punch to Morgenite's shin guard. She laughed and kicked out at them, her revelry turning to confusion, then fear as they caught her foot in an iron grip and raised her above their head.

Struggling to lash out at the fusion, Morgenite was not expecting to be thrown. Her legs slammed into another Morganite's arm, knocking them both down. A spike of pain shot up her spine, and she gasped, clutching her head and staring in horror at the crack twisting through her gem. Looking at the Morgenite she had just collided with, she realized that their gems had slammed together in the impact. The other's had sustained more damage than hers, the crack almost splitting it in two. They looked up at her, confusion clouding their eyes. "But... why..." they gasped out, clutching their gem. Morgenite heard a _snap_ , and the other poofed, the two shards of her gem dropping to the ground.

The rest of the squad had been defeated, and the rebels gathered around Morgenite. The fusion had dismissed its gauntlets and had their hands pressed to their mouth, wide eyes welling with tears. The Quartz placed a hand on their shoulder, and they blurted, "I'm so sorry! I- I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Garnet," the Quartz nodded. "We all make mistakes. You didn't mean to crack her gem or shatter the other." A Pearl holding a long ashandarei whispered something in the Quartz's ear, and she shook her head. "We leave this one," she announced to the group. "Come. There are more battles to fight today."

Morgenite lay there in stunned silence, clutching the shards of her teammate. She was still lying there when a drop ship came to retrieve her two hours later.


End file.
